If you are like me, and looking for more ways for your students to add and subtract fluently within 5, you might check out these worksheets. For only $3.00 you will have 10 addition and 10 subtraction worksheets ready to give important practice to your young learners.

Throughout my teaching career I have made many home visits, but one, in particular, stands out. A student of mine had been in an accident and I visited his home armed with some books, a class photo of his friends, and a hug. The home I entered was a tiny, cramped space occupied by not one, but many families. As teachers we know that despite our best efforts in the classroom, much of a child's future success has been predetermined by his socioeconomic status. It is a wall that we as teachers are continually chipping away at, but it is a monumental task. As teachers, we also know how devastating living in poverty is to a child. Poverty causes negative changes in the brain . Poverty causes stress. It is a source of depression and anger, illness and crime. With such devastating effects, why don't teachers have more allies in the fight against it? Especially when it has been shown to be the cause of any so called "education crises" in America. As reported by USA Today, "When you measure the test scores of American schools with a child poverty rate of less than 20%... they outperform every nation in the world."

So why have we become mired in nowhere "solutions" like "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top"? Why has the answer to perceived school failure become Charter Schools and Vouchers? Why are we splitting our resources and allowing ourselves to continually fail our children because we are avoiding the issue. Teacher Tom thinks it's because, you can't make money off of solving poverty, and perhaps the reason really is that simple. Big box curriculum companies certainly stand to lose millions if we shift our focus from testing to improving lives. Politicians certainly make more progress when they introduce legislations that is labeled "education reform" than when a bill is meant to improve the lives of those in poverty. In my own state of Utah, a bill called the "Healthy Utah Plan" that would improve the health of children in the state may not even be given a hearing in the state house. We know the root of our education problem in this country, and yet we are hesitant to create solutions.

As teachers, we need to remember that we are a source of stability for these children, and that their educational success depends more on the life skills they learn from us, than from the test score they receive at the end of the year. These children are dealing with unbearable levels of stress in their lives, and, therefore, they desperately need a classroom free from anxiety. A classroom where they feel safe. We need to teach them the proper social skills through play based interactions. If we do not, they may never learn these skills at all. We need to love these children. They need love. Their parents need to know that their child is loved. It may sound trite, but love is the bridge that can create opportunities for these children and their families, and until we can rally the kind of social reform that can put an end to appalling percentage of children who live this way, love is going to be these children's lifeline. We must extend it to them. They are drowning.

Read, read, and read some more....that sounds like a wonderful summer! Our students may not agree, but they might be tempted to read a little every day with the right resources.

First on the list should be the little paper books that you have used for guided reading. These books are often “old favorites” that students will return to again and again. With these books, students can review sight words and practice fluent reading.

To keep students interested in reading, however, they need access to new or different stories. These can take the form of books checked out from a public library or purchased at a bookstore. Technology can also provide access to new titles.

Farfaria is an app that allows members to read one free book per day. (For unlimited access, parents can pay a monthly, yearly, or lifetime fee.) The books are divided by subject, theme or genre; each division includes books representing a wide variety of reading levels. Students can choose to read the book or listen to it while individual words are highlighted. Simply put, children love to read using this app. It has over 1,000 books that are aligned to Common Core reading levels. And, new titles are added weekly! Additionally all books are professionally narrated to aide students in listening comprehension.

Reading is critical to success in school. Encourage your students to keep reading this summer to maintain reading skills...and to have some fun doing so!

Several years ago I ran across a treasure! Her name is Nancy Stewart. If you are an early childhood educator and have not yet been introduced to her fabulous, age-appropriate music, I am happy that I can introduce her to you!

This is one of my favorite, most useful products. As a parent, I wanted summer homework that was scheduled, quick, and meaningful. From that desire, I created this Summer Homework Calendar. You can pick it up at the TPT Store for only $2.00.

And, as promised, here is a third song poster from our Kindergarten Graduation. Enjoy

Children's play is not a luxury. It is imperative to their development, health and well being. It also has countless benefits on cognition. Play allows student 's opportunity to be innovative, experiment, create and discover. Simply put, play equals learning!

I ran across this great video on play. I think it is the best I have seen.

If you are looking for Thematic Units filled with play-based games, check out our Thematic Units. Here are a few, we offer over 50.

This great end of the year song, written by Steven Vogel, can be found here. The children enjoy singing its thoughtful melody, and certainly washes the brains with endorphins.We are preparing for our kindergarten graduation, and this is one of our songs. I will be posting a free poster for each of our five songs, one each day for the next five days.If you love adding sign language to your classroom, visit Signing Savvy. This is the go-to sign language resource. I also like Baby Sign Language as it simplifies the process. And then of course, if you get real serious you can invest in Signing Time, a program that builds language and vocabulary as well as signing.Whether you are planning a graduation like my kindergarten block, a celebration, or simply want some great end of the year songs to celebrate your classroom community, remember to stop by daily to pick up your free poster and glean a few end-of-the-year hints and/or projects along the way.

Because there are a lot of poor games out there, and many are based on the kind of operant conditioning described in the video below , they are a huge draw for children without having much reward, and they are often the kinds of games our children might ask us for. Sometimes it's hard to find games that are actually worth the time our kids are going to spend on them. What follows are some of my favorites. I haven't been paid by any of these games to promote them. I just think they're good.

Hungry Guppy

It's difficult to find an app that really works kid's number sense. That's why I love Hungry Guppy and Hungry Fish so much. They are made by Motion Math (that makes a whole slew of great math games for older kids). Hungry Guppy is appropriate for Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade children, and Hungry Fish is for First Grade and up. Hungry Guppy teaches children key foundational math skills, such as the part/whole relationship of numbers and their hierarchical relationships. For a glimpse of what you get with this app, check out this video:

Subitize TreeSubitizing is an important skill for young children. It is the ability to visually recognize numbers by mentally grouping them. This is a great game that hones this skill. A child must quickly recognize the number shown in order to free the animals. It has different difficulty settings which makes sure that children can be challenged and not frustrated as they develop the skill. Both my 3 year old and 6 year old enjoy this game at different levels.

Duck Duck MooseI love app developer Duck Duck Moose. All of their apps are well made, adorable, and creative. My younger kids love their nursery rhyme apps and my older kid is a fan of Moose Math. I don't think you can go wrong buying something made by these guys.

KneeBouncersSometimes baby is going to want a turn at the iPad, or need a phone distraction, andKneeBouncers is the best I've found. When baby touches the device's screen, bubbles pop, colors change, bells ring, and vehicles drive by. It works on your computer too; if baby likes to play with your keyboard.

Monkey PreschoolThe Monkey Preschool series by THUP games is another series where every game is a winner. All of my kids have loved these games while preschool age, and they've learned great skills too!

Letter School

Letter School is a handwriting app. It's been a great app for all my kids, and especially for my second son, who learned all his letters by the time he was 2 from playing this app. The novelty of the game has worn off of my 6 year old, however, despite the fact that he still needs the practice.

Handwriting Without Tears

Based on the fantastic handwriting program, this is an excellent app for teaching proper letter formation. However, children probably won't be intrinsically motivated to play this one, so it's place is probably more instructional than recreational.

Eddie's Number Party!

This game by Scientific Learning, is a wonderful game to teach preschoolers pre mathematical skills. It also has a fun storyline and... PUPPIES! And what preschooler wouldn't love that?

Originator

Originator is the creator of the apps, Endless Alphabet, Endless Numbers, Endless Wordplay, and Endless Reader. All of these are engaging, adorable, and informative. You need to watch the video to get and idea of just how adorably these games have been put together.

Technology should be deliberately used in the classroom. You can evaluate if you are effectively using technology to impact teaching and learning by using the SAMR model. The letters represent: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.

Substitution: Technology is sometimes used just as a substitution for something that we already have - reading or listening to a story on a computer or an i-Pad instead of reading a book or listening to a story from a listening center. This is a good starting point for technology, but doesn’t go far enough.

Augmentation: Technology can make a report or project a little better. If you type up a report on a computer and then use spell check, you are using technology to augment your work. Again, a nice feature, but not enough to justify great expense.

Modification: At this level technology begins to transform the educational process. Students still use traditional skills such as writing, but they complete assignments with technology. In kindergarten, a student may write about a subject, then record the story or sentences on an i-Pad. The accompanying illustrations can be photos of the student’s drawings, clip art, or other digital images. The report or story can be shared with classmates or parents.

Redefinition: A step up from modification, redefinition also transforms learning. At this level, technology allows for the creation of tasks that once would have been impossible and even inconceivable. Students can collaborate on a project; it can include student writing and pictures put together as a slide show with background music, video, and student recordings. The possibilities are endless, especially as students gain experience through the years.

John Dewey said, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” Technology is a part of the future for our students; take advantage of it to transform learning in your classroom.

For National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4th-8th, ESGI is putting their appreciation in motion! This is an opportunity for everyone to show and share appreciation for the hard working teachers molding the minds and lives of our children. ESGI, is celebrating with 5 days of giveaways in exciting gifts worth over $1700! Click on the picture above to enter!